Musicians Strike Against the Starlight

Seeking greater job security, union musicians struck the Starlight theater company Monday, and planned to picket auditions by non-union musicians.

The San Diego Civic Light Opera’s five-play summer season opens May 24 with a performance of “Peter Pan” at the Civic Theatre. In past years it has employed a minimum of 20 musicians per show.

Local 325 of the American Federation of Musicians sanctioned the strike after the Starlight mailed contracts with a 5 p.m. Monday signing deadline to 21 union musicians, despite the absence of a contract agreement. The strike makes it impossible for union musicians to work for Starlight, even if they sign the contracts, said Joseph Pallazola, president of Local 325.

“We’re trying to prevent any hassles our people may have gotten into by having signed these things (contracts),” Pallazola said. “The main issue is a work guarantee for the group of people who have played most of the jobs over the past several years.”

Besides changing the “contractor” who selects orchestra musicians this season, management did not offer contracts to the same people it had in past years.

“The symphony and the opera musicians have tenure,” Pallazola said. “This orchestra does not have any tenure of any kind.”

Starlight Executive Producer Harris Goldman said the union demand for tenure infringes on managerial discretion.

“Tenure is not only contrary to our past relations with the musicians’ union, it is a practice that is not in existence in musical theaters around the country,” Goldman said. “We asked a number of our colleagues around the country if they have any tenure and they said no, no, no, no.”

Although past Starlight contracts guaranteed employment to a minimum 20 musicians for each show, management balked at that clause this year, calling it “featherbedding.”

“Some shows are scored for less than 20,” Goldman said. “ ‘Dream Girls’ is scored for only 14. “What we believe is that there are certain elements in the musicians’ union who are trying to preserve all the jobs to themselves to the exclusion of other members.”